North Korea committed crimes against humanity, not genocide: UN

The head of a UN inquiry into rights violations in North Korea has found that Pyongyang’s actions, while constituting a crime against humanity, fell short of genocide. Michael Kirby, the Australian former judge who headed the UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korea’s human rights violations that concluded last year, reiterated the panel’s finding that “crimes against humanity have been committed” by the North Korean government in its mistreatment of thousands of prison detainees.

This is a very serious finding. It imposed on the international community to make those who are responsible accountable.

Michael Kirby

The council, following the report, also convened its first-ever meeting on Pyongyang’s rights record, which was held despite opposition from China. The investigation, whose findings were released a year ago, gathered testimony from 300 witnesses and corroborating evidence that documented a vast network of prison camps believed to hold as many as 120,000 people.